Coronavirus pandemic | Goa govt to issue circular to hotels, industries

No positive case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported so far in Goa, which receives a large number of tourists, including those from abroad, every year.

PTI

March 13, 2020 / 12:38 IST

ITC Goa

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on March 13 said the government will issue a circular asking hotels and industries to take preventive measures in the wake of the coronavirus scare.

No positive case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported so far in Goa, which receives a large number of tourists, including those from abroad, every year.

Speaking to reporters here, Rane said the circular to be issued to hotels and industries will be on the lines of the directives given by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prevent spread of the viral infection.

In its circular on March 9, the Union health ministry had directed that all mass functions, including seminars and conferences, be cancelled in the wake of coronavirus cases being reported from different parts of the country.

All agencies, including those with the government, need to be proactive and take preventive action for the sake of people's health, Rane said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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